The Aetherwing Saga
by Seraph of Knowledge
Summary: Long ago, in times of great strife and war, a bargain was made and a deal was struck. A guardian was to stand over the royal line of Arendelle, so that darkness might not overtake it. But in troubled times, when empires rise and kingdoms fall, can the Guardian of the Queen really protect her from the ancient evil that lurks behind the shadows? Rated K plus for titanic battle scenes
1. Prologue and The Deal

**Since this has been overhauled completely, there's an entirely different storyline. With a prologue! Yeehaw!**

_Conflagration. A perfect word for my perfect storm. If you had to describe what is about to happen in one word, it would be "cadaverific"_-Noir Necrosi

**Prologue**

_**The Marches of Anór, N/A years ago.**_

The man, bundled against the cold, walked through the howling winds and snows of the Marches of Anór, known as Aren's Dale. He struggled to climb the mountain before him, a heavy burden on his back. As he walked, he saw a glimmer of light, for just a moment, in the mountain face. He immediately stopped and began his search. Pressing on a innocent-looking rock had no effect, so he patted the wall, rewarded when his hand appeared to pass through solid rock, betraying the illusion. He struggled inside to a dry and warm place. Inside was a large cavern, with magma spraying up from below and fires melting the rocks. A pathway led to a forge, and the man walked to it, setting his bundle down and retrieving several hunks of a curious metal. It glowed with what appeared to be starlight, and echoes of a beautiful voice could be heard when two of the pieces knocked together. The man set the pieces, five in all, on the anvil. He took the largest piece in hand, looked it over, and then put the others on the ground. He began working the metal, softening it in the only fires that could. When the metal was white-hot, he pulled it out and set it on the anvil, and began pounding away with a hammer that had lain nearby for countless years.

After countless hours of alternating between hammering and the bellows of the forge, he looked at the blades before him, neatly laid out on the anvil, handles wrapped and jewels placed in the hilts. He picked up the sword in front of him, a hand-and-a-half sword, and said, "You are Caliburn, The Sword of Aether." Setting Caliburn down, he picked up the ones next to it, twin swords, that were curiously shaped. "Your names are Frostbite and Icicle, the Swords of Snow." Setting those down, he picked up a longsword, saying "Your name is Narchor, the Reaver, the Sword of Horizons." As he put Narchor down, he felt a ripple through the air, and a sense of doom fell upon him, though he knew not why. He picked up the last sword, a single-handed longsword, and said, "Your name is Agärlang, the Blooded Cutlass, the Sword of Nether." As he said these final words, a shadow fell over the land. He walked to the illusory wall and looked through it. The sun had darkened to a blood-red, and the sky was dulled from it's normal brilliance. "So it begins. The Elemental War." Telpërinquar said. Then a glimmer appeared in his mind, that swept away the feeling of doom. "Aurë entulúva. Day shall come again," he said, "If the Ranger, the Guardian, and the Queen work together, Day shall come again." He walked back to the forge and picked up the blades and put them in sheaths. Bundling them into a roll, he walked out of the forge and down the mountain, prepared to give weapons of war to men of war.

**_Chapter I: The Deal_**

**_240,800 years before the events of "Frozen", the North Mountain_**

Seraph raised his sword, and the Archon warriors before him quailed. His grey cloak flitted in tatters around him as he spun through them, cutting them down. A sword whistled through the air down towards him, a killing blow, deflected by the plate-and-mail armor beneath his cloak. He slashed the Archon who had stabbed at him, slicing through his armor and killing him instantly. "To me! Rally to me!"he cried, as Archons began pulling out of their forward positions, abandoning their scorpions and ballistae as they ran. Primordial troops marshaled around him, forming ranks. "No time, move out!" Seraph shouted, as the soldiers began moving forward, shield wall raised high against the satyr arrow storm. Archon catapults fired, and Ancients, elves and Primordials went down all along the lines as they were bowled over by the rocks. The Primordial trebuchets made answer, and the Archon defenses, never at their best when facing combined forces like this, crumbled away. Elven cavalry raced forward, taking advantage of the Archon left flank's weakness. Ancient war machines were pushing forward on the right, while the Primordials were taking a beating in the center lines. Multiple cavalry charges from the Archon lines had disrupted the skirmishers that were so vital to a Primordial battle plan. The elven archers continued to pour a rain of arrows into the Archon reserve units, destroying the relief that they so badly needed. The Ancients, with their sophisticated technology, were busy at the siege engines and animunculories where they were building replacement war machines. Seraph surveyed the battlefield, going over this in his head. He knew that if Noir, the Archon leader, was killed, his troops would rout. He ran forward, leaping onto a crumbling wall and somersaulting over the shield wall. He ran out in front of his lines, looking for Noir and dodging arrows. Fire swirled around him from one of the Archon Elementals, for which these "Elemental Wars" were named. "Elementals."he cursed as he ran, looking for Noir. Elementals weren't inherently evil, it was just that they were too powerful to be controlled by any save other Elementals. Noir was a Elemental, so he could control them. As he watched, the Archon Elemental went down with a arrow of ice in his eye, and Seraph looked back towards his own lines. A Snow Elemental was there among the archers, calmly picking and choosing her targets. A rumble in the ground then caught his attention, and he looked back towards the Archon lines. For a moment, the rumble ceased. Then, a massive worm bored up through the ground and screamed it's hate to the evening sky. "A World-Crusher Worm…"Seraph said in awe. The species of massive worm only served those who could command the dark element, such as Noir. Seraph sighed, and leaped towards the creature. His jump was impossibly far, but his own magic kicked in and he sailed onto the creature's head, several hundred feet above the ground. He grunted as the backlash of magic hit him; his own magic had been exhausted keeping a boundary up for weeks, so he was forced to draw his life-force to sustain himself with his magical endeavors, otherwise, the Archons and satyrs would already have been defeated. He held on as the worm bucked, trying to throw him off. He held on, swaying as he attempted to hold his balance on the jerking creature. He gave up on just standing there and plunged his sword into it's skull, holding onto the hilt for dear life as the worm thrashed out it's death throes. It fell to the ground, dead, as Seraph leapt off it's head and into the Archon forward trenches. Several minutes later, the trenches were cleared and Seraph resumed his search for Noir. His eyes roving, he nearly missed the arrow winging it's way towards him. He ducked out of the way, the arrow screeching harmlessly off the rocks behind him, and looked for the shooter. He found him, a Wind Elemental, clambering up the rocks of the foothills they had been fighting for, next to a familiar figure. "Got you now, Noir."Seraph said to himself as he began climbing up the rocks towards the two Elementals. Mountains towered above them, satyr archers on the slopes pouring arrows into the allied lines while Archon engineers built defenses behind them. Seraph leapt from rock to rock, avoiding the arrows being shot at him. He jumped up several feet onto a ledge, to find himself surrounded by three Archon swordsmen and twelve satyr archers. He made short work of the swordsmen, but one of the archers managed to wound him in the arm, grazing him with a bolt from a crossbow. Seraph cut the satyr down, slicing through bow, string, and goat. He inspected the cut on his arm, more worried about poison or infection than blood loss. Satisfied that it wasn't poisoned, he continued chasing Noir and the Wind Elemental. High on the mountain, there was a massive gateway, Noir and the Wind Elemental appearing to be making their way towards it. Seraph reached the broken stairs that led to the doorway just as Noir disappeared inside, the Wind Elemental staying outside to guard the entrance. Seraph rushed up the stairs, heedless of the arrows, rocks, spears, and three-foot darts flying around him. He rushed at the Wind Elemental, and both drew swords and jammed them together at the hilt, attempting to push one another off balance. The winds picked up around them as a storm began to brew, testament to the magical clash going on around the two. To the Elemental unique "inner eye", the world around them was a massive torrent of white and frost-blue light, signifying Seraph's power, whereas the Wind Elemental's power was represented by a sickly yellow light. Seraph suddenly jerked his sword down, breaking the impasse and gaining the upper hand. He spun out Aether, as light as spider silk around them, wincing from the strain of holding it in physicality. The wind abruptly died, as the two were incased in a hollow shell of frosty light, the emblem of House Frost appearing on it. The Wind Elemental, cut off from his source of power, called for quarter. Seraph obliged him and bound his hands with Aether, thus ensuring that the Elemental couldn't try and harm him while his back was turned. That done, he dispelled the shield and raced inside.

Seraph was met with a strange sight. Far below was a river of magma, while a stone platform had been constructed out at the center of a massive cavern, the edges of which were shrouded in the gloom. Noir stood in the center of the platform, with what appeared to be swirling black sand spinning around him. Seraph looked with his inner eye, and beheld a somewhat different sight. Black lightning was arcing down, bouncing off Noir's hands and rebounding along the cavern walls. The black sand was replaced to his eye by swirling..nothingness. Darkness occupied the space, showing Noir's true power. Nether. The power over death, darkness, suffering, and pain. The Chthonian Element it was called, also the Final Element, for death was always the end of the road. Noir himself looked like a demon incarnate, cloaked in fire and shadow, with skin that looked like hardened magma and eyes that reflected the light of the lava below them. Seraph let himself shine in the darkness of Elemental eyes, and he changed. For starters, he now had wings in this form. Six of them, shining white with just a hint of frosty blue at the wingtips. He was dressed simply, with white robes. Light collected around him and pooled at his feet and fingertips. Not for nothing had he been named "Seraphim", after the highest order of angels. "You have a way of showing off," said a coarse voice, the voice of the demon in front of him. "Noir." the word came out a curse, and Seraph accompanied its pronunciation with the sound of his sword being drawn. "I should have known you would come after me. Who else but a Elemental? Who else but Seraph Frost?" The demon shook his head, laughing. "You should not have come here, Seraph. But then you were always the fool." Seraph replied, saying "There are many thing I shouldn't have done. Chief among them was letting you go when I had the chance to end it." Noir's eyes narrowed at that. Shouts carried from the hall and doorway behind Seraph. Seraph said, "Your servants will arrive soon." Noir raised a scarred and blackened hand and the doorway shut and the hall's ceiling fell, blocking the entrance. "This is between us, and is long overdue. Do you agree?" Noir drew his sword as Seraph approached, and soon, they were circling, four paces apart, swords glowing as both Noir and Seraph fed power into them. "I do. You have chosen a lonely and dark path Noir, but it's not too late to turn back." Noir smiled, the expression not reaching his eyes, and the hollowness of the expression again reminded Seraph how different they were. "_You_ have chosen the lonely path. Your people shackle themselves to others, saying that makes you stronger. In reality, it makes you weaker. My people stand strong, and unified, and therein lies our strength." Seraph shook his head, saddened by Noir's inability to see the truth. "No, Noir, it _does_ make us stronger. What you have done is made an enemy of the Last Alliance with your depredations." Noir snarled, and reached for a small pouch at his side. "May I?" he asked. Seraph knew what he would draw forth and nodded. Noir removed a iron mask, inscribed with Archon runes and placed it on his head. "You used to wear a mask of blight-steel," Seraph noted. "I reserve that now only for special prey," Noir said, and attacked.

Noir's blade spat showers of darkness as he unleashed a series of powerful blows. Seraph allowed the strength of the attacks to move him backward as he dodged left, right, spun, and parried, biding his time. At last he deflected a overhand strike in a shower of sparks, slid his blade free, and stabbed at Noir's middle. Noir slid left, spun, and drove Seraph's blade into the rock. Noir threw a reverse elbow with his off arm, augmented with strength from Nether, but Seraph anticipated the blow, parried with his forearm, lurched his blade free, and drove a Aether-augmented kick into Noir's midsection. The impact lifted Noir off his feet and drove him fifteen paces across the platform, though he flipped in flight and landed on his feet in a crouch, barely a foot away from the edge. "Your skill with a sword remains wanting," Seraph said, advancing. "You rely on strength over technique." Anger tensed Noir's body, his eye blazing red. "It's well, then, that I've learned other methods." Black lightning crackled, flickering on Noir's fingers, a dire promise about to be unleashed. Before Seraph could respond, Noir gestured and the lightning cut a jagged path across the platform. Seraph dropped his sword and raised his hands, white and blue lightning arcing out. The two streams of energy collided, tangled, and strove for dominance. Seraph and Noir approached each other, step by step, shuffling to avoid losing their balance or breaking concentration. Time seemed to slow as they fought, random bolts being thrown off from the fight to hit parts of the cavern, sending rocks crashing down into the magma below, causing the magma to spray upward. Time slowed even further, and this time, Seraph took notice, for a figure approached over the air towards the fight. He was dressed in elegant gray robes, with long sleeves and a deep hood to conceal himself. Time seemed to stop as the figure neared. "Seraph, you must stop," the figure said. "This fight will kill you and all those fighting below. You cannot see it, but you shake the mountain with every strike and cause cracks in the world when you clash. Noir is augmented by not only his power, but the power of every Archon Elemental currently living. He has shackled their power to his will so that he may fight and destroy you." Seraph nodded, saying, "What must I do to stop his armies from laying waste to this world?" The figure removed his hood. Swirling silver eyes looked at him solemnly as the Gallaronian stepped onto the platform. "I can change the timeline, make it so that the Archon race is sealed away. But, this comes at a price. Your people must also be sealed, or the balance cannot be maintained and they will return. I can leave you here, make you a guardian of the Gatekeeper who will hold the gates closed." Seraph looked down, at the churning magma below. "I will take your offer. What must I do?" The Gallaronian smiled, saying "You need only watch." The Gallaronian disappeared and time restarted, Noir being shoved back by a invisible force. White light blinded Seraph, then darkness took him and he knew no more.

**A good beginning, I should think.**


	2. Negotiations are Boring

**Seraph won't star again for a while… sadness.**

_**Seven months after the events of "Frozen", Arendelle Castle**_

_"Was the deal really worth it?" "I hope it was, I truly do."_-Roslyn Frost

Elsa surveyed the massive pile of paperwork on her desk and sighed. She glanced at the topmost sheet, a petition for a embargo against the realm of Ossiriand for failing to meet quotas on their trade agreements for the fifth time in three months. She signed it and tossed onto a pitifully small pile of completed work. She glanced at the next, a Weselton plea to restore trade, and tossed it in the small bin she kept for such proposals. She sighed again, and, unable to concentrate, she walked outside her room, passing, as she always did, the locked door to her father's study. By all rights, she should be using the study, but she could never bring herself to open the door. There were too many memories attached to the study, long hours spent trying desperately to control her powers-she cut the thought off. She quickly moved past the door, heading towards the Great Hall, where her throne was, and visiting dignitaries and officials would gather. She heard a burst of chatter and smiled slightly. Anna was at work. Ever since the "Great Freeze", Anna had taken it upon herself to entertain foreign officials whenever Elsa wasn't around to meet with them. Mostly it was a.. interesting sight. Usually she would take them around the castle and show them the various things lying around, though, one time, she somehow got a Westernoche ambassador to do a sledding race down the bridge to the city. Elsa slightly increased her pace, wondering what Anna was up to this time. She opened the doors to find a long wooden table had been pulled out, and Anna and a ambassador were fencing on top of it while six or seven others cheered them on. She cleared her throat, politely calling them to order. The ambassador fencing with Anna automatically went into a flourishing bow when he caught sight of Elsa, while Anna hadn't seen her yet. Anna stabbed him in the chest, her point dull and unsharpened so it wouldn't hurt him, and said "I win! I've never won before.." She turned around and saw Elsa. "Hi! Did you see? I won! I won against a trained fencer! Can you believe it?" she said, firing away as if her mouth was a repeating ballista, sending her words like bolts at everyone. A blinding white flash erupted outside the windows, and thunder roared. Both Anna and the ambassador got off of the table as a light pat-pat on the windows could now be heard, signaling the long-delayed rains. "Now," Elsa said,"Since I have your attention, we may begin."

Several hours later, she was regretting those words. Out of the eight ambassadors that had come to see her today, only three had been able to present their cases, for the tedium of explanations, proposals, counter-proposals, and more took a very long while. Elsa jerked back to the present, for the one presenting his case was speaking, "…And so, Queen Elsa, in all good faith, I would implore you to accept this passage, Article U, Section twenty-nine, Paragraph eighty-five, Line sixty, words twenty to ninety-six, which deals with the amounts of fishhooks that can be left in the fish that is caught and sent to Arendelle." Elsa affected a yawn, in actuality concealing a laugh at the absurdness of that passage. "It is accepted," she said,"But unfortunately, the hour grows late, and I cannot see all of you today. If you would be so kind as to return tomorrow, we will see about your proposals." she said, speaking to the four ambassadors left. The four, one of whom had most certainly fallen asleep at least six times in the past nine hours, gratefully nodded and left for their respective accommodations. As they opened the doors, loud bursts of thunder roared and lightning flashed. The rains had been going steadily all day, a gentle rain for the most part, but the storm was getting violent as night drew nearer. Shouting could be heard from the open doors, and Elsa saw guards rushing to and fro before the last ambassador shut them as he left. Elsa turned to one of the guards standing at attention near one of the side entrances. "What's going on?" she asked. "Lightning struck the outer walls repeatedly, mi' lady. The city walls closest to the ice-mines in the mountains are in ruins. A watch is being set to make sure no enemies can overwhelm us from that direction. It's the oddest thing, mi' lady, I've never seen nor heard of anything like that, eight or nine lightning bolts striking all within twenty feet of one another. It's like someone or somethin' was hurling em' at the wall." he replied. Elsa nodded distractedly. "Is everyone all right? Was anyone hurt?" she asked, worried. "No mi' lady, not one was hurt nor killed, though some were mighty afeared' when that wall came down that someone was attackin'." he said. Elsa nodded again, relieved that no one had been hurt. Looking back, however, she thought upon the man's words. "You said it was like something or someone was 'hitting' the wall with lightning?" she asked, curious. "Yes ma'am, I believe I rightly did say that. Mighty interestin', that lightnin'. Seems like it wasn't comin' from the sky at all. Looked like it was com- in' from up mountain, where they mine the ice from the frozen lakes that don't thaw when spring rolls round'. That reminds me, they say they found a new source of that fancy ice from up yonder, by the North Mountain. Your sister's friend, that big Ice Master Kristoff, he done gone up there to take a look-see round it, take a block or too down here for you to see what it's made of." he said. Elsa, slightly amused by the man's South drawl, a drawl that originated in Westernoche and Tarenia, said,"Thank you for telling me. I will be retiring for the night, so if anything else happens, send word to my chambers." she said, allowing a slightly melodic North accent that was only found in Arendelle to creep into her voice. She went from her throne room, too tired to do any more of the work she should have done earlier, and collapsed into her bed, asleep before she hit the covers.

**End chapter two. Mysterious lightning, eh? Fancy ice, eh? One sounds like our little Angel at work, the other like Stalhrim, the enchanted ice of Skyrim. But who can say? Maybe it's the other way around? Or maybe it's something entirely different? Or maybe it's a case of "_They think I'll think that they'll do A, so they'll do B because I wouldn't think they'd think of that but then because I might think I know what they're thinking they'll do A after all because I wouldn't think they'd think that way." _That's a real tongue-twister. I had real fun doing the guard's accent, mostly because of the Southern ****stereotype, we're all yokels with Fords and shotguns, and because I know people who fit that stereotype.**


	3. Rescued

**Meanwhile, far away, in the mountains of Arendelle…**

_Show no mercy, for you shall receive none! For this day shall be the day which we shall show the power of the Alliance has not waned!_-Galahad Frost, Seraph's father on the occasion of the first Elemental War

Kruphix stole through the clearing, ghosting through it as if he were a spectre. A longbow was slung over his back, a dagger was at his side, and stone and cold waters were in his heart. He unslung his bow and drew an arrow out of his quiver, holding it in his bow hand as he looked over the bandit camp in front of him. He had tracked the thieves who had been attacking caravans and coaches back here. As a Fell Ranger, it was his duty to stop them. As the Warden of Earth and Sea, it was his duty to protect Elementals. He was currently doing both jobs. A small child, a boy by the look of the rather ragged brown hair, was currently being held in a small cage near the center of the camp. In the darkness of Kruphix's inner eye, the child gleamed with a slate-blue light. The light could only mean one thing. The child was a Wave Elemental, a son or daughter of the sea, as it were. Whoever they were, they weren't alone. A large man dressed in the garb of a ice harvester was crammed into a cage next to the child. A reindeer was tied up to a post nearby, attached to a sled full of cut ice. Three of the thieves, and now kidnappers, it would seem, were talking with one another by a group of tents. Kruphix knew there was at least ten of them down there, so he watched cautiously, looking for where the others were. He soon had his answer. The rest of the thieves had just rode up to the camp in a wagon, freshly stolen. There was a man and woman in the back, trussed up like a pair of chickens. Kruphix decided to make his move.

Kruphix nocked his arrow, setting his sights on the men closest to the cages. He let fly his arrow, and almost instantly had another arrow on the bowstring, drawing back for his next shot. As he released and went for another arrow, he heard a surprised cry, and knew his first shot was good. Within around five seconds, six of the thieves were down with arrows in their legs, arms, and other non-essential parts. Kruphix wasn't trying to kill them, after all. He was trying to bring them in for justice. The rest of the thieves had by this time gotten under cover, hiding behind barrels, wagons, and tents. A thief made a break from cover, trying for the horses tied up to a hitching post near him. He didn't make it three paces before a arrow entered his left calf. A incredibly painful wound, but non-lethal. Kruphix knew that now the rest of them would try and wait him out. He didn't plan to give them that chance. He put his arrow back into the quiver, and drew his long-bladed fighting dagger, more like a dirk than a dagger. He made his way silently into the camp. A thief made a break for it. Kruphix swept back his slightly ragged and threadbare cloak and drew out a throwing dagger. He tossed, and the thief went down with the knife in his back, a serious wound, but not fatal. Another brigand saw the knife flash and bury itself in his compatriot's back. "He's right there!"he cried. "Get em'!" The others drew a eclectic collection of knives, battered longswords, and hatchets, and attacked.

A mistake. A flurry of throwing knives met the ragged charge and demolished it. No lethal wounds, but still some were serious enough to warrant medical attention. Kruphix walked among the downed thieves. He had misjudged how many there were. Instead of ten, there were at least seventeen here, writhing on the ground in pain. As Kruphix made his way to the cages where the prisoners were being kept, he saw a shadow detach itself from the small earthen shelf at the back of the camp and walk towards him. Kruphix stopped, and drew back his cloak, ready to throw more daggers. "There's no need for that unpleasantry." the shadow said, and Kruphix recognized what it was. "Go back to the shadows, vampiric monstrosity!" Kruphix half-shouted. The vampire laughed. "You know you cannot best me, Fell Ranger. Not without your precious leader." Kruphix stifled a smile. The vampire didn't know. But something must have shown on his face, for the vampire said,"You think you can? Many have tried. My bite has felled many humans, and will continue to do so. Starting with you." The vampire leapt towards him, a black short-sword in his hand.

Kruphix jumped off to one side, and the vampire's blade sliced through empty air. He scrambled to his feet and held out his dagger in his left hand, water of a special sort in his right. He fenced with the vampire for a few moments, but it became clear that the vampire had the upper hand when it came to blades. The vampire's sword was longer and heavier than his fighting dagger, and it was only a matter of time before his arm gave out. Kruphix wasn't planning on giving the creature that much time. Time to start summoning his powers. He made a fist, and the earth beneath the foul creature moved like putty, turning to quicksand beneath its feet. Water churned from a stream nearby, summoned to do the Ranger's will. It swirled around the vampire, cutting off it's high-pitched screams as it drowned. When it died, it dissolved into dark grey dust, and was torn apart by the rushing current. Kruphix let the water go back into the stream, then turned towards the cages.

The child was staring with wide sea-blue eyes, while the harvester was looking at him as if this sort of thing was both new and yet not. "How did you do that?" the child asked. "I used this." Kruphix replied, holding up a empty vial. "What's that?" the child said. "This, is a vial containing a very special water. It's a water that makes vampires like normal people. I emptied it into the stream, and it killed the vampire. Otherwise it would still live, no matter what I tried." The child nodded, understanding, then asked yet another question. "How were you able to control the water and the earth like that?" Kruphix walked over and unlocked the cages. "I used magic." he said as he opened the cage doors. "What's your name?" he asked the child. "My name's Sandor. I don't have a surname." he said. "What's yours?" Sandor asked. "My name is Kruphix. Kruphix Morningstar." Kruphix said, feeling slightly foolish for revealing his name. It was supposed to be a secret, after all. He unlocked the cage with the harvester inside, then went to Sandor and picked him up, moving towards the horses. "Are you coming?" he asked the harvester. "Depends on where you're headed." he replied. "I'm headed down into Arendelle." Kruphix said. "I'm going there as well." the harvester said. As they mounted up, Kruphix asked him, "What's your name, by the way? I never caught it." The ice harvester looked over from where he was busy with his sled. "It's Kristoff. Kristoff Bjorgman." Kruphix smiled a little and said, "Nice to meet you, Master Bjorgman."

**I'm so sorry this took so long, but I don't have much time to write and I'm a slow typer. I ask for your forgiveness.**


	4. Captured

**I just finished The Return of the King, so there will most likely be LOTR references.**

_**Arendelle Castle, around 7:45 A.M.**_

_Out of doubt, of of dark, to the day's rising/I came singing in the sun, sword unsheathing/I rode to hope's end, and to heart's breaking/Now for wrath, and for ruin, and a red nightfall!- _Eomer, he with the white crest in the wind, at Rammas Echor

_The swords clashed, as the opponents spun, parried, and gracefully did their best to kill one another. The swords rang and sparks flew with every strike, as they danced with their blades. Both were shrouded in darkness, with hoods and cloaks, but as she watched, one's hood fell back, to reveal a face like her own._

Elsa woke with a start. The sun was shining through her window, and there were no swords, no hooded figures, no dance of death with blades in the dark. She was alone, she was safe, and she needed a bath. After having one and making a new ice dress, she greeted the day in her customary way. She sang. Not only that, but she sang a song that was old when Men were new, a song so old that it was the only known scrap that still yielded a bit of the mysterious Primordial language.

_"Brave the snow _

_Through the pillars of the dales_

_Rest your feet _

_Come and listen to my tale _

_Raise your mug _

_To the legend of the frost _

_Through my song _

_It will never be lost _

_A tale that will never be lost _

_Kept in the legend of the frost _

_Kruziik Ahkrin Haalvut Lok _

_Oblaan Qostiid Rein Norok _

_Briinah Bruniik Sahrot Vahdin _

_Zeymah Mul Kendov Krin _

_A tale that will never be lost _

_Kept in the legend of the frost _

_Once and always _

_A part of history _

_Long remembered _

_Warriors be _

_Distant thunder _

_Echoes of the past _

_Through my voice_

_Forever to last"_

She finished, looking at the sunrise over the dales and mountains streaming through her windows. She opened her glass doors and stepped onto her balcony, looking over the city. A bustle of activity caught her eye, however, and it was a lot closer to her than she realized. A clatter of hooves and the whinnying of horses announced a arrival to the castle. A sled pulled up to the stables next to the gate, a familiar figure in the driver's seat. Alongside Kristoff was a stranger on a horse, with a child in his lap. As she watched, he swung off the horse easily, then helped the child down. She decided to go down and see what this was all about.

Kruphix swung out of the saddle easily, Sandor quickly following. A chill ran down his spine, a chill he had learned to trust the hard way. He looked to the mountains, and saw something the size of an eagle circling the North Mountain. Another chill ran down his spine, and he looked towards the doors to the Great Hall. They opened to show the Queen herself walking towards them, the Princess Anna running to catch up to her. Kruphix cursed slightly under his breath, but there was nothing for it. She had seen him, and there was no way he could quietly slip out now. Hopefully she didn't know how to use her inner eye, otherwise he, and Sandor, were in serious trouble. To his, she was surrounded in a halo of frost-blue light, signifying her ice powers. He bowed, and said, "Your Magesty."

Elsa walked out the entrance to the Great Hall and into the courtyard, walking towards Kristoff and the strangers. As she looked at them, her vision changed for a split second. In that instant, the world appeared dark and cold. Kristoff was a dark outline of a man. But the strangers were both outlined in light that they gave off. The man was outlined in hues of green and blue, whereas the boy was emanating a slate-blue light. Then the world went back to normal. She staggered slightly from the shock, as the man bowed and said, "Your Magesty." She recovered and nodded her head slightly, acknowledging him. "What, might I ask, is your name?" she said. "Kruphix, your Magesty. Kruphix Morningstar." he replied. "And yours?" she asked the child. "My name is Sandor." Sandor said, quickly looking to Kruphix and only saying his name when he gave a small nod. She looked over at Kristoff, who was currently being mobbed by Anna. "I trust you have an explanation?" she asked him. "Kruphix saved my life." he replied, with Anna hanging onto his neck, looking for all the world like a crazed bat, the way she was stuck to him. "Is that so?…" she trailed off, inspecting Kruphix more closely. She saw a bow and quiver slung over his back, and a dagger at his side. He was dressed rather simply, in mottled brown-and-green clothes and a slightly ragged and threadbare cloak. She nearly overlooked it, but it was the only splash of color she could see, for his eyes were shadowed by his hood. A small white-gold star was the clasp on his cloak. She had seen that star only in history books. "Guards," she called, "take this man's weapons and show him to a secure room. I'll question him later." As the guards moved forward and disarmed him, Kristoff looked at her and asked, "Why? He saved my life, and Sandor's life." Elsa looked over at him. "He's a Fell Ranger,"she replied. "He's incredibly dangerous. You're lucky he didn't kill both of you as well. Fell Rangers take no prisoners and leave no witnesses." Kristoff looked at Kruphix as he was calmly led away by the guards. "If he's so dangerous," he asked, "then why isn't he fighting back? There were at least fifteen of them there, more than twice the number of those guards." Elsa also looked as Kruphix was led away. "I don't know," she began, "But I'm going to find out."

As prisons went, it wasn't so bad. They took him to a well-furbished room, with everything he could want. Except a window. Or natural light. Or any of nature, for that matter. Kruphix wasn't used to being like this, cooped up with no release. He could have fought back, and part of him regretted not doing so. But there had been Sandor to consider. He was many things, but one thing Kruphix Morningstar was _not _was a reckless person. If he had fought back, the chances of Sandor getting hurt were large. And Kruphix never put a child in harm's way if he could help it. He paced around the room, the only light being from a oil lamp on the table and the chandelier on the ceiling. "Typical," he said to himself, "They won't let you have a window, but they _will_ let you have multiple naked flames in the room." He turned to the door as it opened. Two guards walked in, flanking the doors, then Queen Elsa herself walked in, flanked by the Princess on one side and Kristoff on the other. "Now," Elsa began, "Let's talk."

**Oh dear. The mere mention of the Fell Rangers was enough to warrant Kruphix being clapped in irons(figuratively, nearly literally). I wonder why?… Find out next time, when Kruphix reveals some things that should have been revealed long before….**


	5. Interrogation

**The big reveal(Not really, there are bigger fish to fry)! Also, thing-that-must-be-explained: Somehow, even though I'm NOWHERE near finished, I already have plots and names for the sequels…oops.(cringes and smacks head) I beg for forgiveness.**

_Conquer an army, and you conquer a nation. Conquer the mind, and you conquer the world._- Ilvarn, Ninth Sage of Winter-fell

When Kruphix heard the Queen say, "Now, let's talk," he went into lockdown. Some things he knew should not be repeated. "Talk, you say? I don't want to talk to the lady who put me in this nature-less prison. I don't even have a plant in here to keep me even _remotely_ comfortable! Why would I ever talk to you? Answer me that!" Kruphix said, his voice rising until he was half-yelling. "Because if you don't, I'll freeze you where you stand." Elsa said. Kruphix's eyes flickered between the sisters, judging their reactions to that statement. The Princess was looking at her sister in equal parts astonishment, horror, and a little bit of pride. Kristoff was looking at her like he had never heard that from her before. Kruphix decided to take the astonishment route and run with it. "Your powers won't harm me." he replied. Actually, they could, very much, but there was no way he was telling _Her_ that. The Queen raised an eyebrow. "If I can make eternal winter," she said, "then what makes you so sure that I can't harm you?" Kruphix walked over to the chair across from her and sat down. It was an enormous breach of etiquette to sit down in full view of the Queen without being asked to, and both of them knew it, but Kruphix had been living in the wild for longer than he could remember. "Because," he began, hoping his bluff wouldn't backfire, "I control the earth and water. Earth is noticeably resistant to damage, and well, salt water doesn't really freeze very well." He looked at the reactions again. The Princess looked like she was abut to be sick, though that was probably from the chocolate she was ramming down her throat, Kristoff had a peculiar light in his eyes, and the Queen was most definitely astonished. "You… what?" she stammered finally. Too late, Kruphix realized that he had revealed his big secret, that he too was an Elemental. "I'm supposing you didn't know that…" he said. She looked at him, astonishment, hope, anguish, fear, and isolation mixed in her eyes. Kruphix put his hands on the table, flexing his fingers. "Let's get something straight," he said, "For starters, Fell Rangers do leave witnesses and do take prisoners. We just leave them in places where they can live life in peace. We are deadly, but only towards the enemies of the Mountains. Any who trespass in the Mountains have us to answer to. Secondly, I'm far older than you might think, and I've lived among nature so long that without it I fear I will soon die. So forgive me for being unpleasant to the Queen who threatens and blusters when she can't even control herself, for likely dooming me to death." Kruphix sat back in his chair, watching the incredulity play across their faces. The only response was one he was not completely unprepared for, but the one he was dreading. "Who are you then?" the Queen asked. "You really want to know who I am, and what I have done?" he asked. All three nodded mutely. "Then let me show you. Take my hand." He stretched out his hands, and Kristoff and the Princess both took his hands, while the Queen held theirs. "You might want to hold on," he said, "this will be unpleasant for a moment." He closed his eyes, and a blinding green flash seared across his eyelids as they fell into darkness.

**Arendelle, 12,883 years before**

"To me! Rally to me!" King Auilvin cried. His soldiers flocked around him as troops from the Southern Isles landed and soldiers from Westernoche poured into the breach in the city's wall. Axes and swords rose and fell, curses and taunts were exchanged, and through it all the screaming of the wounded was heard. Bows twanged like badly tuned _gitarras_, and the front rows of the Westernoche pikemen fell as arrows pierced through armor, clothing, and finally flesh. A man on horseback rode up, his livery marking him as a messenger of Sir Arvin, leader of the King's Messenger Corps. "Sire!" she shouted, drawing his attention. "The western shores are taken! And scouts bearing no sigil are being seen on the Northern slopes of the mountains!" King Auilvin looked out at the sea of writhing bodies and turned back towards the messenger. "Tell Sir Arvin I will take a man and investigate!" The messenger nodded and wheeled his horse around, back to the castle and Sir Arvin's command post.

The King gestured to a swordsman, a strapping young man. "You, with me!" he cried over the din of battle. The swordsman nodded and ran over. "Your orders, my King?" he asked, breathing hard. "I need you to ride with me. Scouts are being seen on the Northern slopes. We may be looking at a three-pronged attack from Adansia. If it is, we'll retreat to the castle. It has never fallen while men still manned its walls." The swordsman nodded. "Come, we ride!" King Auilvin said.

An hour and a half later, they were on the Northern slopes, the din of battle echoing faintly behind them. The forest verge was where they had been spotted, and so they rode along it. As they rode, shadows slipped from their hiding spots and followed them. "That's far enough, Arendelle-king." said a voice, accompanied by the distinct rasping sound of an arrow on wood being drawn back. "What business have you in the Mountains? Is there not a war on your doorstep? Or does the King Auilvin, the brave, flee from the battle he cannot win?" the voice asked. "We cannot see you!" Auilvin replied. "We came looking for scouts of Adansia, fearing for our Northern flank." A man stepped out into the open, a drawn bow in his hands, arrow pointed at the King. "There were scouts, but they are no more. As for the advance forces of Adansia, they followed suit. Their main forces, now severely depleted, march back through the narrow passes they defiled with their presence. You need not fear for your North flank." The King was incredulous. "How did you defeat a force so much larger than yourselves?" he asked. "We used good tactics, had good aim, and we had the advantage of _height_." The man chuckled a little at the last word. "As you might have guessed, we're Fell Rangers." The King was even more amazed at this statement. Fell Rangers trusted no one, helped no one, and certainly didn't _fight _for anyone.

"Why would you help us?" he asked. "Because," said the man, "if you fall, then everyone in the world dies. I won't explain it, but I can reveal that." Auilvin was churning with that last statement. "How do we stop the invading Westernoche and Southern Isle forces?" he asked. "You leave that to us." the man said.

**The present, Arendelle Castle**

"As you might have guessed, I was the Fell Ranger who helped King Auilvin when he most needed it, when the new-founded Westernoche Empire attacked Arendelle to further its power in the sea." Kruphix said. They had woken up from the memory a few seconds ago, and now Kruphix was explaining it. Elsa looked at him curiously. "Why did you say that if my ancestor fell, the entire world would die?" she asked him. Kruphix hesitated for a moment, then plunged in. "Do you know what a Ancient is?" he asked. "Yes, they were a Original race. They were the ancestors of our people." she said. Kruphix shook his head. "No, they were the ancestors of _your _people. You see, I'm an Ancient." All three gasped at that statement, and Kruphix couldn't blame them. Ancients were quasi-immortal beings with technology far beyond their years. Primordials were _fully _immortal, but that wasn't the point. "You're… an Ancient." the Princess finally stammered out. When Kruphix nodded a affirmative, she jumped out of her chair and began doing a silly dance while talking nonsense, only stopped when the Queen said, "Anna." The Princess, suddenly reminded of where she was, sat back down. "So you're trying to tell us that you're a Ancient, a nigh-immortal being with the technology to harvest sunlight, and you're a Fell Ranger who doesn't kill for sport and, in fact, helps people?" The Queen asked, disbelief in her voice. Before Kruphix could say anything, Kristoff rapped on the table with his knuckles. "I'll vouch for him." he said. "Are you sure?" the Queen said. "Yes. He saved my life, and Sandor's life. We should at the very least give him the benefit of the doubt." Kristoff said. "Very well, Mr. Morningstar, you're free to go on the good word of Kristoff Bjorgman that you will not attempt to flee." the Queen pronounced. They left the room, all of them, and after settling in a room with both a potted plant and a view of his Mountains, Kruphix said, "Now, for the hard part…. convincing the Queen to let me train Sandor…."

**Sorry this took awhile. Seraph's zahkrii los fawn 'Zoniiz'**


	6. Enter the Apprentices

**I don't care for football, so no, I won't say anything about the Super Bowl.**

_Not to rule, but to serve; that is our creed. To defile that is to defile all that we hold sacred._- Eladaín, First White Wizard of Anórien.

_The __two figures danced with their blades swinging effortlessly, sparks flying with every strike. As she watched, their swords clanged together, and they were locked at the hilt. As the opponents strove to push each other off balance, one Shouted a word. A harsh white light erupted from the place where the swords met, and with a bell-like tone, one's sword snapped, their blade shattering. Their hood fell back, revealing only shadow._

Elsa woke with a start to the sound of a man singing. She didn't recognize the voice immediately, but when she did, she was slightly surprised. It was Kruphix. He was singing in a strange language, possibly his people's language, if he really was a Ancient. His song was soft and lilting, and though she couldn't understand the words, the way he was singing it made her think the song was very sorrowful.

_Gil-galad aran edhellen.  
>I thelegain linnar o then:<br>I âr vedui dôr vain a lain  
>Min eryd ar i aearon.<em>

_Megil dîn and, ecthel dîn laeg,  
>Thôl hílol dîn palan-dirnen:<br>In gil ernediaid menel  
>Tirnen bo thand gelebren dîn.<em>

_Da phalan-onur io anand  
>Ú-ben ista had i dhortha<br>Tinu dîn dannas na dúath  
>Mi Vordor, i nôr-i-merchaint.<em>

He finished, his head visible across the courtyard, looking towards the mountains ringing the dale of Arendelle. Even from here, she could see the marks of old age in his posture, his voice, and his temperament. She recalled what he had said, 'I have living among nature so long that without it I fear I will soon die.' Elsa wondered about this strange man who saved Kristoff, knowing full well, it seemed, that he would be imprisoned. She resolved to find out more and went down to the dining hall.

Kruphix woke early, as was his habit, to the sound of birds singing. The sun had not yet come up over the Mountains, and he lay there quietly for a hour and a half, till sunlight began peeking through the uppermost part of the window. When that happened, he went over to the window and greeted the day with a song of his people, believing that no one else was awake, or that no one would ascribe the voice to the Ranger. When he finished, his eyes swept over the castle courtyard, his head never moving to implicate that he wasn't watching. His eyes caught movement and he saw the Queen walking from her balcony. He hadn't even known she was there until she moved. He grabbed his cloak and the belt for his dagger and put both on, swinging the hood over his face to conceal his eyes. His stomach made known it's hunger, and so he went down to the dining hall, having a sneaking suspicion that he would be interrogated there.

They walked in at the same time, Kruphix and Elsa. Elsa sat at the head table, with Kristoff, Anna, and the Steward, while Kruphix sat at a small side table, with Sandor. "So," Kruphix began, talking to Sandor, "How are you being treated?" Sandor looked up at him. "They're all very nice. They gave me my own room and everything." he replied. "Sandor, I have something to ask you," Kruphix said. "Have you ever experienced… magic?" Sandor nodded. "When you drove that vampire away." he said. "Other than that." Kruphix said. "Yes." Sandor replied. "When?" he asked. "Whenever I'm scared, water always helps me somehow." Sandor said, looking at the table. Kruphix had a good idea that Sandor's magic had seriously injured someone in the past. "Sandor, I do things other than fight vampires. I train magical people like you. I make it so you don't have to be afraid of yourself or anyone else." Sandor looked up at him with wide eyes. "You can make it so that I don't hurt people?" he asked, hope in his eyes and voice. Kruphix nodded, saying, "Yes. It isn't easy, but I can train you and your emotions so that you don't hurt people or yourself." Sandor looked at him, his back straightening. "I can do it." Kruphix smiled. "I know you can. We'll begin as soon as we can." he said.

After the meal, they were walking out the doors when they were called for. Kruphix and Sandor turned around and walked back to the head table, where the Queen asked, not Kruphix, but Sandor, "How are you? Are you being treated well?" Sandor nodded and said, "Thank you for everything. Ranger Morningstar is going to teach me about my magic so I don't hurt anyone." Kruphix nodded a affirmation, saying, "You know, my last name isn't Morningstar, not really. It's a translation of my actual last name, Aurêl." The Queen looked surprised at this. "You're saying your name is Kruphix Aurêl?" she asked. "Yes, but you may continue calling me Morningstar." The Queen nodded, and then said, "You can teach magic?" she asked, hope in her voice. Kruphix recalled the stories from the Fell Rangers in Arendelle at the time, where the Queen had lost control of herself and buried the kingdom in winter. At the time, Kruphix had been standing guard over the gates of Winter-fell, but he could guess why the Queen was asking. "You wish me to teach you as well? I can, if you are willing." he said, watching her reaction closely. Her reaction was mainly one of combined relief and surprise, with a hint of suspicion as well. "I'd like that." she said. "Well then, we'd better get started. When you're finished with your meal, if you would come down to the water-gate in the gardens, we can begin the training." Kruphix said, and with that, bowed, turned on his heel, and walked out into the courtyard, Sandor beside him. "Why did you question what his last name was?" Kristoff asked Elsa. "Because," she replied, "Kruphix Aurêl was one of the Ancients recorded to have survived the wars that destroyed the Original races. But only the royalty of Arendelle have those lists. Either he was a member of the Arendelle royal family, or he is a actual Ancient."

**The song in this chapter is the translated form of the "Fall of Gil-galad" in Quenya, Tolkien's elven language. And Aurêl, in Sindarin, the other elven language of Tolkien, means "Day-star/Morningstar/Sunlight-star" I could have used Orel, the shortened form of Aurêl, but I wanted to make his last name sound ****slightly nicer.**


	7. First Lesson

**More Sindarin! **

_More than anything, I wish that I could give my knowledge to this world. But that cannot be. If my knowledge was given out, then Men would use it as an excuse to harm one another, and that is not our goal._-Tirnêl, Eighth Blue Wizard of Adansia

Kruphix and Sandor walked out into the courtyard. As they walked, they talked about things like how the light caught on the still-wet rooftops of the steeples and mansions of the city. Sandor had a keen mind for a six year old, Kruphix found. He was reserved, but that came with the territory of being a Elemental. Most of the Elementals Kruphix had met over the course of his life were like that, because of their powers. No Elemental was ever completely certain that they would never harm a person with their abilities. As they made their way to the water-gate in the gardens, Kruphix and Sandor fell silent, for the Queen and her sister had just arrived at the water-gate. Kruphix was reminded of a old friend and comrade as he made his way toward them among the gardens. "Well, since we're all here, we can begin." Kruphix said.

He sat on a small bench, with Queen Elsa and Sandor sitting across from him. The Princess and her fiancee were sitting a little ways away, but were within earshot. "So," Kruphix began, " I'll start with saying that I am in no ways a very good teacher. I have seen many apprentices, but I can only half-remember my training, just before the second Elemental War broke out. In any case, we were preparing for war then, so my apprenticeship was more combat-centered…" Kruphix trailed off, staring into space, reliving his experience of the wars he had served in. "Ranger Morningstar?" A voice jolted him out of his reverie. He re-focused and saw it was the Queen. "May we continue?" she asked. "Yes, of course." Kruphix said, slightly concerned about his succumbing to a mental daydreaming state more and more. "Where was I?," he began, "Ah yes, magic, just like a weapon or tool, is dangerous. There are practically infinite ways to hurt someone, accidentally or purposefully. My job is to make sure that if you _do_ actually hurt someone, it's on purpose." He mentally searched through his training and found a topic that he thought would be interesting to talk about. "I will begin with telling you about the different kinds of magic." he said. Queen Elsa slightly raised her hand. Kruphix gestured for her to speak, and she said, "Is this really relevant? I don't believe there are any other people like us left." Kruphix smiled slightly, shaking his head. "Over the course of the centuries," he started, "I have met many who said the same. They were all misinformed. Elementals, for that is the term for a wielder of magic of the elements, are still going strong today. The reason you do not hear of any magic anymore is because either the people who have the magic hide it away from others, or suppress it and squander a wonderful gift." Kruphix rubbed his hands together, saying, "But I've gone off topic. There are eight elemental magics, three High Magics, and countless Low Magics. The eight are fire, earth, water, air, ice, nature, light, dark, and twilight. There are different names for the different types. There are Fire Elementals, Mountain Elementals, Sea Elementals, Wind Elementals, Snow Elementals, Growth Elementals, Sun Elementals, Shadow Elementals, and Grey Elementals. Sandor, you're a Sea Elemental, and Queen Elsa, you're a Snow Elemental, obviously." The Queen nodded, then abruptly said, "How do you know what Sandor's element is?" Kruphix smiled, pleased that she had caught that. "I know," he began, a slight smile on his face," because of my Inner Eye. A Inner Eye is something all Elementals have, the thing that makes you a Elemental. Without one, you're just a magical adept. I can tell that you're both Elementals with my Inner Eye, and I can tell what type of Elemental you are. I will teach you about how rouse it and command it, but it is a dangerous ability, and a saddening one. For it cannot lie, and it will show only Truth to a master. If you are a master of magic, then you will see, in your inner eye, all the hurts, sorrows, sufferings, and pains inflicted upon the people you see with it. But, you will see joy there as well."

Kruphix stopped, seeing in his inner eye the Queen and Sandor. Sandor was a boy, surrounded in a slate-blue light. He was innocent, carefree, and Kruphix intended for him to stay that way. He turned his sight to the Queen, and he beheld a young woman armored in the bright garb of war, revealing both her inner strength and her insecurity. He looked at the insignia on her surcoat and his blood chilled over. He beheld a silver dragon, superimposed on a cerulean snowflake on a snow-white field. The last time he had seen that insignia was at the final battle of the final Elemental War, carried as a standard by a very particular person… He snapped out of it. "But I digress. I have tired, being an old man, and the hour grows late. Here, take these. They are the most important possessions you will have until the day you die." Kruphix said, fumbling in his cloak and pulling out a few bundled objects. He tossed two to Elsa and two to Sandor. Sandor opened his to find a steel medallion with a image of a crashing wave stamped on it, and a slender wand of water oak. Elsa opened hers to find a silver-and-ice snowflake pendant with a sapphire in the center, and a ring. The ring had a light blue sapphire as the center piece, and it was silver. Both Elsa and Sandor looked to Kruphix. He said, " The pendant and the medallion are the more important of the two pairs. They will hold a weak leash on your magic, keeping it from surging without your knowledge. However, the leash is weak enough so that if there is a threat, your magic will override the control and defend you. The wand," gesturing to Sandor, " is for generalist practitioners. But the ring,"motioning to Elsa," is for more defensive purposes. Both will enhance your magic when you're using it, and will act as a sort of fail-safe. If you're close to harm, the ring and wand will alert you to the danger. If I could have, I would have given you staves, which channel magic the easiest, but I'm afraid there is no wizard in Arendelle for me to do that." The Queen arched an eyebrow at him, saying, "Wizard?" Kruphix nodded. "Yes, a wizard. All wizards are Elementals, but not all Elementals are wizards. Wizards are different from most Elementals in that they carry staves, while most only carry wands and medallions. The staff is a excellent magical conductor, and will allow for things you could not achieve otherwise." He said, reveling in the dumbfounded look all four were giving him. "As long as you live, you should keep the pendant and medallion on you at all times. The ring and the wand aren't as necessary, but you shouldn't leave them behind either." Kruphix said, then he remembered. "Ah, Sandor, here." he said, tossing a small leather holster and belt to him. "It's a wand holster. You wear it on your belt."

Kruphix stood, his hood awash in the setting sun. He removed his hood to reveal a young man's face, with cruel scars running down the left side of his face. His hair was brown, but his eyes were probably the reason he wore the hood. One eye was a intense green, the same color as plants in the spring. The other was a equally intense blue, as blue as the waters of the Great Sea to the south. As the sun set, Kruphix's eyes gleamed in the new starlight, and Elsa had a feeling that he could see just as well at night as he could during the day. "I think that dinner has been served." he quietly said, and they all removed themselves to the dining hall, where they ate and talked. Then, they went to their respective rooms, Elsa and Anna to the Royal Wing, Sandor and Kruphix to the Guest Wing, and Kristoff to the West Wing, next to the Royal Wing. There, they fell asleep, dreaming of a long-ago war and a man with eyes like glaciers.

**So, secrets are finally revealed. I worked in something that I've wanted to work in, and now we'll see about getting a Balrog in the picture.**


	8. Assassins

**Trouble brews on the northwestern horizons….**

_For the Moonlit Lands!_-Iaurglîn, Lord of Ithílian, at the battle of the Tower of Ithíl.

_**Two weeks later, Adasseron, capital of the new-founded republic of Adansia**_

A ship slowly moved into the harbor of Adasseron, having obviously taken a beating from pirates. Arrows jutted out from it's sides and deck, while long rips in the sails showed the ferocious battle. It pulled alongside the docks, and a diminutive man in a toupee stepped off the ship, flanked by six red-clothed mercenaries, armed with crossbows and shortswords. He marched down the planking, headed for the castle that could be seen on top of the escarpment Adasseron was built on. Before he could get far, however, he was stopped by two guards in the red-and-blue uniforms of the Adansia Republican's Guard. They crossed halberds, preventing him from leaving the docks. "What is the meaning of this!?" the man screamed in a shrill voice. "I have business with the Council of Adan!" One of the guards looked at him with disgust written on his face. "We know," he began," We've been expecting you. You aren't to leave or proceed until one of the Councilmen can get down here to hear your request." The man huffed, but could do nothing. He settled in for a little wait, planning on how he would get revenged on a kingdom.

A old man shuffled to the docks, leaning heavily on a whitewood staff topped with a sapphire. He was dressed in midnight-blue robes, signifying his status as a Wizard. Alongside him was a younger man, dressed in robes the same color as the older man, but he carried a redwood staff topped with a piece of obsidian. As they walked slowly to the docks, the man waiting there saw them. "You! You there! Come here!" he cried. The Wizard looked over with a amused expression on his face, and in the language of the Wood-elves he said to the younger man, "I do believe he wants us to come over to him. Let us see what he is so urgent about." They walked over and stood there, while the man said, "What are your names?" The younger man replied, saying "This is Oldhinen, Eighteenth Blue Wizard of Adansia. I am Caranguar, his apprentice. Who, if I may be so bold, are you?" The man puffed his chest out, his toupee flopping with the effort. "I am the Duke of Wesselton! Do you not know me?" he said, panting with the effort of keeping his back straight and his chest out. The older man smiled, and said, "I know by my art that you made a fool of yourself in Arendelle. I know that you seek revenge. And I know who you truly serve." Oldhinen said, the smile fading from his face as he said the last words. The Duke's face paled, but before he could say anything a man in scarlet livery walked up and said, "The most esteemed Council of Adan will see the Duke of Wesselton, on the condition that he leave his bodyguards here." The Dule without hesitation pushed through the Republican Guards and walked to the messenger. The messenger turned to the Wizard and his apprentice. "The Council wishes to see you as well, Master Oldhinen, and you, Apprentice Caranguar." The wizard nodded and with difficulty walked with the others up the escarpment to where the castle was.

Once inside the castle, they were led to a large room, where a half-moon table was raised off the floor. Five scarlet-and-blue robed figures sat in the spaces at the table. The wizard and his apprentice were given chairs off to one side, but left the Duke standing. When all were ready, a Councilman said, "So, tell us, why does the disgraced Duke of Wesselton come to Adansia, hmm? Perhaps he comes to hire mercenaries from our people?" The Duke replied, saying, "I wish to hire some of your best assassins." The council as one edged forward in their chairs. "Whatever for?" they asked. "As far as we know, Wesselton never had need of assassins." The Duke knew that they were interested, so he continued, saying, "I wish to have the Snow Queen silenced. She is a danger to everyone as long as she lives." The council sat back, whispering among themselves, discussing the proposition. Finally a council member said "We will give you your assassins. But they will have triple the rates, and will be guaranteed pre-payment." Triple the rates was a lot of gold, but the Duke kept his trap shut, knowing that if they wished, they could have easily refused him. "Agreed." he said, some bile rising to his throat at the expense of what he had just done. He consoled himself with the fact that Adansian assassins never failed their missions, and that soon the Snow Queen will have met her fate. He walked out, and the council turned towards the wizard and his apprentice. "We have had reports that the Snow Queen is learning magic from a Fell Ranger. If our assassins should fail, it will fall to you to mend the gap." Oldhinen rose, gripping his staff tightly. "I will not support these assassins. If you wish to murder a innocent girl, so be it. But I will not participate. If they should fail, then I will attempt to mend the rift between our two nations. But if they succeed, I do not think that there will be a Blue Wizard to see that day." The council nodded, troubled at his words. "We hope that they fail, then." one of the council members said. "I hope that you do not realize what will happen if she is killed." the wizard mumbled. As they were leaving, the apprentice turned to look at the council. They nodded as one, and he turned around, already planning his trip. Oldhinen was troubled by the casualness of the ordering of Queen Elsa's death, and he whispered to himself, "How did it come to this?"

**Death comes for the Queen, but she's been training in magic for two weeks, and she has a guard in Kruphix Aûrel. But Adansian assassins never fail. What happens? Find out soon!**


	9. Narchor Returns

**Perhaps Telpërinquar could be persuaded to make another appearance...**

_"We may triumph on the field of battle for a day, but against the Archons there will be no ultimate victory. There are __too many, and we have not the heart to exterminate them. They will always rise again and fight."_-Elennúmen, High King of the Elves, at the battle of Anór.

_**A week later, Arendelle Castle courtyard**_

"Come on, keep moving your feet!" Kruphix said, swinging at Elsa with a sword. She deflected it with her own, sending it sailing past her cheek as she pedaled backwards, trying both not to get hit with the training sword and not to fall. Kruphix, upon hearing that she had no self-defense training, had decided, as her teacher, that it would be beneficial for her to do so. She was regretting her agreement. Kruphix was relentless in his methodical way of tearing down everything she thought she knew about sword fighting and building up a entirely different picture. She preferred the long hours she now spent balancing herself under his watchful guidance, meditating, and using her powers. She recalled the last lesson Kruphix had taught her, how to refract rays from her ice to create the appearance that she had disappeared. She did so and was rewarded with a flicker of surprise from Kruphix, which was what she needed. She created more ice, under his feet to make it harder for him to move, and making more of the refracting ice. She jumped out at him, sword swinging, once she was close enough. He stopped her blow with a flicker of his sword and stabbed out, quick as a viper, but Elsa was already backpedaling. His training sword, blunt ended, poked her hard in the ribs. Instantly the ice disappeared and she doubled over, gasping with the pain. "Good try, you've just learned that force isn't everything." Kruphix said, helping her to stand upright. As he did so, she stabbed him in the ribs, hard. He just raised an eyebrow, as if he hadn't even felt it. "Why aren't you hurt by that?" she demanded. "Because," he said, a smile on his face," I've been in _real_ battles with _real_ weapons."

Before Elsa could respond, a messenger ran into the courtyard. "My Lady, a message for you!" he cried, gasping for breath. Elsa turned to him. "What is the message?" she asked, curious about who would send a message to her. The messenger handed her a letter, sealed with the black laurel wreath symbol of Westernoche. She broke the seal and opened the letter, Kruphix using his height to look over her shoulder.

_To Queen Elsa of Arendelle_

_It has recently come to the attention of the Westernoche Imperium that you have ceased trade relations with Westernoche's friend and ally Wesselton. We inform you that this is paramount to a act of defiance, and we will take appropriate measures unless you comply with our wish to restore trade with them at the earliest possible time. As for your unusual powers of ice and snow, we neither fear nor pay heed to them, for they will not stop us if we so choose. We wish for you to take the easier option and please restore trade._

_Written by the Chief Scribe Arnuzîr of the Westernoche Imperium, by order of His Majesty Zôrzagar XVII, This Day the Twentieth of Snow-melt_

When she had finished reading the letter, she was outraged and perplexed that Westernoche would go so far for Weaseltown. "They threaten war? For cutting off trade with Weaseltown? Why?" She asked the air, and was rewarded with an answer from Kruphix. "Because," he said," They rely on Weaseltown for all their overseas goods. Since you cut off trade with them, they think that you are trying to make a point, and that you are trying to bankrupt Weaseltown." She looked at him, asking "What should I do?" He walked over to where his training sword was lying on the ground and picked it up, saying "Tell them I'm here. Once they hear that, they won't attack." She nodded, and then said, "What do I say?" He walked back towards her, saying "Well, to them I'm Cementár, so call me both that and just say I'm an Atanatári. They'll understand." She nodded and together they walked to her study, where she sat down and he sat across from her, writing the response. When she was done she handed it to Kruphix, and he looked it over.

_To King Zôrzagar XVII of the Westernoche Imperium_

_I have received your letter, and I say this; That we have no intention to send defiance to you or any other nation. Our ceasing of trade with Wesselton has nothing to do with your gracious realm, rather it is to do with the duke's attempt on my life at my coronation. Until further notice, no trade is done with Wesselton, however, we will continue to ship goods overland to Westernoche. I also am grateful that you do not fear my powers, for many do and would harm me and my people without cause. However, I must __inform you, that __Cementár t of the Atanatári has taken up residence here in Arendelle as my advisor and my teacher in magic. If you truly wish to declare war, he informs me that he will fight for Arendelle._

_Written by Queen Elsa of Arendelle, this Day the Nineteenth of Leaf-fall _

"I like it. Not too confrontational, but still a warning shot." He said after finishing the letter. She looked at him and said "Thank you. I was just wondering what 'Atanatári' meant." He looked up at her from the letter and said "Atanatári means 'Father of Men'. It's the Westernoche word for a Ancient." He stood up and said "I'll take this to the messenger. With any luck they'll be too scared to attack."

As he was walking to the messenger post, a red-robed rider galloped towards him. He pulled up in front of Kruphix and pulled down his hood, revealing black hair and reddish-gold eyes. "Darian, what are you doing here?" Kruphix asked. "I come to fulfill my oath to you. I wish for you to take this back." the rider said, dismounting. He carried a black staff topped with a ruby, and two swords were on his belt. He took one of them, a longsword with a slightly elongated hilt, and offered it to Kruphix, who took it and unsheathed it partly. "Narchor…" Kruphix whispered. "Thank you. So it is time then? Time to fight?" he asked Darian, fearful of the answer. "I believe it is. Armies begin to move, and there is a Shadow over every land between Anór and Kargan." Darian said, remounting. "I go to reinforce the gates of Winter-fell. I hope we meet again in happier times." Darian galloped away, and Kruphix, buckling Narchor onto his belt, delivered the letter to the messenger, who galloped off on a fresh horse to Westernoche. When Kruphix returned to the castle, Elsa and Anna asked him, "Why do you have a sword? I thought you didn't carry one." He responded, saying "I didn't. This is Narchor, the Render. It was my sword during the Dark Times, the last Elemental War. Darian the Pyromaster, a fellow Ancient who still lives, fulfilled a oath to me and returned it." He looked out the window at the approaching storm clouds on the eastern horizon. "A Shadow falls on this land, one that has not been seen for an Age."

**The suspense! What, or who, is this Shadow? Who is Darian truly? What are the gates of Winter-fell? You will find out, I promise thee!-Seraph of Suspense, one of the alternate forms of Seraph of Knowledge. As for Narchor's description, look up Glamdring, Gandalf's sword.**


	10. Beginning the Hunt

**The last chapter will have ****implications later in the story, but for now, someone who should not have been lost must be found...**

_I still remember, I who dwell, in this far land beneath the trees, the starlight of the Western Seas_-Song of the Wayfarer, the song sung by grieving Primordials

_**Three days later, Arendelle Castle**_

"Please, I must see the Queen!" the man begged Kai, the Steward. "If you don't request an audience in advance, you cannot see the Queen!" Kai said, frustrated with the man's persistence. "What's this about?" Kruphix asked, walking up to them. "This man," Kai said, gesturing to him," is demanding an audience with the Queen, even though you must request an audience before you can see Her Magesty." The man threw up his arms in frustration, saying "People are dying in the mountains! Does the Queen not care for her subjects?" Kruphix looked at the man. "What do you mean, 'people are dying in the mountains'?" The man said "There is _something_ hunting people in the mountains, and the Queen is doing nothing. The hunters can't find it, and the one that did was found dead, what was left of him, anyway." Kruphix was troubled at this. "And the Fell Rangers? What are they doing about it?" he asked, curious about why his comrades had not tracked down and killed whatever it was. "They all disappeared from the mountains two weeks ago. A man I know who deals with them said that they were headed to a place called Winter-fell. I don't know more than that." Kruphix visibly paled, and from the doorway they were standing in front of a voice asked "What is Winter-fell? It is a foul name, or you would not be so pale Kruphix." Elsa asked, Sandor and Anna by her side as she walked down the steps. Before Kruphix could respond, the man bulled his way past Kai and said "Your Magesty, you _must_ help the people dying in the mountains!" Elsa looked at him and said "What? People are dying? Where?" The man responded, saying "People are being killed by something in the mountains. Up by Lake Histëala. Please, you must help!" Before Elsa could respond to the man, Kruphix said "I'll go up there and see about tracking whatever it is down and killing it." The man snorted, and said "You? You couldn't help anyone." Kruphix raised an eyebrow and produced a small white-gold star on a pendant. "I thought your kind had left…" the man said, obviously troubled. "Not yet, young man. Not yet." Kruphix responded. "I would like to come with you." said Elsa, closely followed by Sandor. They both thought he would refuse, but he looked contemplative for a moment, then he said "Alright. On one condition; That you don't complain a few days in and beg me to take you home." Elsa and Sandor nodded, both saying "I accept" at the same time. "Then let's get moving. We travel light, so don't take anything you aren't absolutely certain you'll need." Kruphix said, and with that turned and entered the guest wing, Sandor close on his heels. Elsa and Anna went to the royal wing, while Kai escorted the man out.

Elsa was busy packing up some clothes when a knock came at her door. Anna went over from where she was placing essentials in a bag and opened it to admit Kruphix. "I thought, since we're headed out, that you might want these." he said, holding out a belt, on which two identical curved daggers with sheaths were hung. "These are Primordial daggers," he said, "So they should stand up to even the strongest creature. They're very handy in a fight, should you need to." Elsa took the daggers and belt from him and examined them more closely, taking one out of it's sheath. They were a coppery color, and stylized branches and leaves adorned the spine of the dagger. "Where did you get these?" she asked, curious. "Let's just say that it was a difficult and dangerous task, involving lots of running and far too many arrows for my liking." he said, a slight smile on his face. Elsa was about to respond when Sandor walked into the room. He was dressed oddly, with a grey-green tunic and trousers, and brown boots, almost identically to Kruphix. Elsa, on the other hand, was dressed in a simple dark green dress. Sandor's wand holster was at his side, clipped to his belt, and a knapsack was slung on his back. "I'm ready." he proclaimed. Kruphix slung his cloak around his shoulders, quiver peeking through the flap in his cloak. "I am prepared." he said, and both he and Sandor looked at Elsa. She swung a knapsack onto her shoulders, ignoring the cold that would undoubtedly be in the mountains, and said "Then let's go."

They took horses from the stables, Sandor taking a fjord horse, Kruphix and Elsa taking quarter horses. They rode quickly through the city, stopping briefly at the gate while the guardians opened it. After leaving the city and castle behind, they rode quickly, covering a great deal of ground so that they were near Lake Histëala by the time evening was upon them. They set up camp, and pitched their tents. As they were relaxing after their meal, Elsa asked Kruphix "So, you never answered my question. What is Winter-fell?" Kruphix's smile disappeared as he leaned forward. "Winter-fell," he began, "Was the first capital of the Primordials. It was destroyed during the second Elemental War, and it has since become a breeding ground for orcs, trolls, and other, fouler creatures. It was constructed using ancient techniques, a real wonder of the world before it fell, you see_,_ Winter-fell was a underground city, for the most part. It lies deep within the Mountains around Arendelle. I fear for my kith and kin who watch the gates of that foul place. For darker evils than orcs lie within those walls…" With that, Kruphix ceased speaking, leaving them to contemplate his words. A short time later, he said "We'll rise early tomorrow, and push on to the lake. There, we'll begin our search for this mystery killer."

**For a example of Elsa's daggers, look at Tauriel's daggers from _The Hobbit_ movie. They're practically identical. Primordial weapons look _a lot_ like Elven weapons from LOTR, with most looking like Noldorin and Gondolindrim weapons, but with exceptions, with some looking like Sindarin weapons.**


	11. The Hunters have become the Hunted

**The continuation of the last chapter. No change in the Baltic area at this time.**

_You shall be named Seraph, for you shall burn with cleansing light, a light to set ablaze hearts and purify the shadows._-Galahad Frost, on the occasion of his his only male child's birth.

They headed through the doorway, swallowed by darkness for a moment. Then Kruphix's staff blazed with blue-green flames, lighting up the area. "Elsa, can you light your ring? It will provide better light than my staff." Kruphix said. Elsa replied, saying "I don't know how." Kruphix walked over and said "Alright. Think of light, the sun, a candle, anything that provides light to the dark. Then imagine that emanating from your ring." She did as he requested, and lo and behold, a icy white light flared up from the jewel on her ring, illuminating the darkness. "That's much better." Kruphix said, inspecting the walls of the hall they found themselves in. "This is interesting…" he said, examining the wall. "You found something?" Elsa asked. "Yes, I believe I have. These are wards of invisibility, and sigils of protection against finding this place, magically or mundanely. Someone went to an awful lot of trouble to hide this place. And do you know what that means?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "That we should leave?" she asked, hopeful. "It means that we should explore further. That fact that they hid this place so well means that whoever built it won't have laid traps down. Probably." Kruphix said, flinging the last word out as if he didn't care if there were any. He moved down the hall, Elsa and Sandor trailing behind him.

They went through a door at the far end of the hall, and entered a room. It was, from the rows of weapons, armor, and arrows, a armory. The type of weaponry and armor, however, was interesting. Elsa had never seen anything like them. The armor was a curving sort, that was beautiful to look upon but also appeared to be effective. The swords were, for the most part, a shallow 'S' shape, with the handle curving forwards and the blade trailing back. There were a few straight swords, mostly hand-and-a-half weapons and two-handed weapons. The spears were leaf-bladed, and the blades were longer than the ones she had seen in the royal armory. She looked over to Kruphix, and was puzzled. He was just standing there, stunned. After a few moments, he walked to a rack and went down it's length, touching the weapons. "How?… How could they build this place? it cannot be that old…" he whispered, but in the silence of the room, they could hear him perfectly. "What do you mean? Do you know who made this place?" Sandor asked. "This," Kruphix said, gesturing at the racks of weapons and armor," is Primordial weaponry and armor. This must have been a fortress of theirs during the Second Age." Elsa, slightly puzzled, asked "The Second Age? What do you mean?" Kruphix looked over to her. "You don't know about the Ages?" he asked the two of them. Both shook their heads, and a look of surprise came to his face. He then sighed, saying "Oh well, I'll tell you. It might be relevant later. Let's see…, ah yes. There are Five Ages of this world. There was the First Age, the time of Dragons. The Second Age, the Dawn of the Originals, our 'glory days', if you will. The Third Age, the Time of Magic, the beginning of the gift of magic in this world. The Fourth Age, the Time of Shadow, the period in which the Elemental Wars took place. That Age ended at the Dagor Ando Dôrdin, the Battle of the Gates of the Silent Land. The Age we are in is the Fifth Age, the Time of the Descendants, when your kind," he gestured to them" are prevalent, and the Originals are all but gone." Falling silent, he walked to the next room, Elsa and Sandor following.

When all three entered the next room, the door abruptly fell into place, plunging them into darkness, were it not for Elsa's ring. They were in a stone room, with three stands and a jug of sand on a table next to them. The door to the next room was on the other side, but it too was closed. "Ah" Kruphix said, sounding amused. "What's funny?" asked Sandor. "Well," Kruphix said, gesturing to the room around them,"this is a Primordial puzzle room. I remember them; they absolutely loved puzzles. Always harping on about this puzzle they solved or that puzzle they were stumped on." While he said this, he walked over to the three stands and touched the center one. Instantly, each stand blazed with a symbol on it, and cracks blazed to life in the back wall, lending more light to the room. "That's better." Kruphix said. "Well this is interesting." he said, studying the stands. "What?" Elsa asked. "These are words in the Primordial language. I'm supposing that there are three possible answers to that riddle" he gestured to the cracks on the back wall" and you place the jug on the correct one. Get it right and the door will open." He tapped the symbol on the stand next to him. "This," he said," is _Lokzii_, Angel. This one here" he moved to the central pillar" is _Od_, Snow. And this last one here" he moved to the far right pillar" is _Zahkrii_, Sword. The riddle essentially means 'He who would pass this way, Must travel the Road of Solace, To Reach the Path of Knowing.' A fairly uncomplicated riddle, for a Primordial, at least." He fell silent for a moment. "I've got it." he said. "Already?" Elsa asked. "I have. The Primordial words for 'Path' and 'Road' are synonymous with the word for 'Snow', because Primordials built in mostly snowy areas. It can't be 'Angel', because there is no connection to the riddle. And it can't be 'Sword', because Primordials, despite being excellent soldiers, were pacifists." He moved to the jug, picked it up, and set it on the stand marked with the appropriate word. There was a rumble, a hiss, and both doors opened. "See?" Kruphix said, sounding pleased. He walked into the next room, Elsa and Sandor following close behind.

When they reached the next room, they stopped dead in their tracks. A large stone plinth was in the center of the room, and on it was a young man, eyes closed, clutching the hilt and jagged shards of a hand-and-a-half sword. His semi-long white hair was spilled around his neck, framing his face in a halo. He was dressed in armor of the sort which they had seen in the armory, and two swords were on his belt as well. They had no real guard, it seemed, and they were slightly curved, and single-edged. Sapphires dominated the hilts of the two swords, while a large white diamond was the pommel of the broken one. Icy white torches burned at regular intervals along the walls, lending light to the room. Elsa extinguished her ring and they walked forward. As they walked up to the plinth, Elsa also saw that the man was wearing a grey cloak, and a staff was resting in the crook of his arm. The staff was made of twisting wood, with a knot at the top which held a ice-blue sapphire in it. Kruphix stared for a long while, not saying anything. Finally, he said "I know who this is." Elsa and Sandor looked up in surprise. "You do?" they asked. "I do. This is Seraph, of House Frost, of the race of Primordials." He leaned down, touching Seraph's neck. As he did so, a snowflake pendant not unlike her own fell into view around Seraph's neck, save his had a diamond as the center piece, not a sapphire. Kruphix straightened up, looking both surprised and urgent. "He's still alive." Elsa looked up in shock. "What?" she asked, surprised. "We need to get him back to the castle straightaway." he said, and together they managed to lift him onto a small sled that Kruphix created beneath him, and they set out, homeward bound.

**Sorry about uploading late. For your information, look up 'Glorfindel' by Magali Villanueve and you'll see what Seraph looks like. As for the twin swords, they're almost a identical match to Thranduil's swords in BOTFA. Narsil would be a good approximation of the Broken Sword that Seraph was holding.**


	12. The Angel is Found

**The continuation of the last chapter. No change in the Baltic area at this time.**

_You shall be named Seraph, for you shall burn with cleansing light, a light to set ablaze hearts and purify the shadows._-Galahad Frost, on the occasion of his his only male child's birth.

They headed through the doorway, swallowed by darkness for a moment. Then Kruphix's staff blazed with blue-green flames, lighting up the area. "Elsa, can you light your ring? It will provide better light than my staff." Kruphix said. Elsa replied, saying "I don't know how." Kruphix walked over and said "Alright. Think of light, the sun, a candle, anything that provides light to the dark. Then imagine that emanating from your ring." She did as he requested, and lo and behold, a icy white light flared up from the jewel on her ring, illuminating the darkness. "That's much better." Kruphix said, inspecting the walls of the hall they found themselves in. "This is interesting…" he said, examining the wall. "You found something?" Elsa asked. "Yes, I believe I have. These are wards of invisibility, and sigils of protection against finding this place, magically or mundanely. Someone went to an awful lot of trouble to hide this place. And do you know what that means?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "That we should leave?" she asked, hopeful. "It means that we should explore further. That fact that they hid this place so well means that whoever built it won't have laid traps down. Probably." Kruphix said, flinging the last word out as if he didn't care if there were any. He moved down the hall, Elsa and Sandor trailing behind him.

They went through a door at the far end of the hall, and entered a room. It was, from the rows of weapons, armor, and arrows, a armory. The type of weaponry and armor, however, was interesting. Elsa had never seen anything like them. The armor was a curving sort, that was beautiful to look upon but also appeared to be effective. The swords were, for the most part, a shallow 'S' shape, with the handle curving forwards and the blade trailing back. There were a few straight swords, mostly hand-and-a-half weapons and two-handed weapons. The spears were leaf-bladed, and the blades were longer than the ones she had seen in the royal armory. She looked over to Kruphix, and was puzzled. He was just standing there, stunned. After a few moments, he walked to a rack and went down it's length, touching the weapons. "How?… How could they build this place? it cannot be that old…" he whispered, but in the silence of the room, they could hear him perfectly. "What do you mean? Do you know who made this place?" Sandor asked. "This," Kruphix said, gesturing at the racks of weapons and armor," is Primordial weaponry and armor. This must have been a fortress of theirs during the Second Age." Elsa, slightly puzzled, asked "The Second Age? What do you mean?" Kruphix looked over to her. "You don't know about the Ages?" he asked the two of them. Both shook their heads, and a look of surprise came to his face. He then sighed, saying "Oh well, I'll tell you. It might be relevant later. Let's see…, ah yes. There are Five Ages of this world. There was the First Age, the time of Dragons. The Second Age, the Dawn of the Originals, our 'glory days', if you will. The Third Age, the Time of Magic, the beginning of the gift of magic in this world. The Fourth Age, the Time of Shadow, the period in which the Elemental Wars took place. That Age ended at the Dagor Ando Dôrdin, the Battle of the Gates of the Silent Land. The Age we are in is the Fifth Age, the Time of the Descendants, when your kind," he gestured to them" are prevalent, and the Originals are all but gone." Falling silent, he walked to the next room, Elsa and Sandor following.

When all three entered the next room, the door abruptly fell into place, plunging them into darkness, were it not for Elsa's ring. They were in a stone room, with three stands and a jug of sand on a table next to them. The door to the next room was on the other side, but it too was closed. "Ah" Kruphix said, sounding amused. "What's funny?" asked Sandor. "Well," Kruphix said, gesturing to the room around them,"this is a Primordial puzzle room. I remember them; they absolutely loved puzzles. Always harping on about this puzzle they solved or that puzzle they were stumped on." While he said this, he walked over to the three stands and touched the center one. Instantly, each stand blazed with a symbol on it, and cracks blazed to life in the back wall, lending more light to the room. "That's better." Kruphix said. "Well this is interesting." he said, studying the stands. "What?" Elsa asked. "These are words in the Primordial language. I'm supposing that there are three possible answers to that riddle" he gestured to the cracks on the back wall" and you place the jug on the correct one. Get it right and the door will open." He tapped the symbol on the stand next to him. "This," he said," is _Lokzii_, Angel. This one here" he moved to the central pillar" is _Od_, Snow. And this last one here" he moved to the far right pillar" is _Zahkrii_, Sword. The riddle essentially means 'He who would pass this way, Must travel the Road of Solace, To Reach the Path of Knowing.' A fairly uncomplicated riddle, for a Primordial, at least." He fell silent for a moment. "I've got it." he said. "Already?" Elsa asked. "I have. The Primordial words for 'Path' and 'Road' are synonymous with the word for 'Snow', because Primordials built in mostly snowy areas. It can't be 'Angel', because there is no connection to the riddle. And it can't be 'Sword', because Primordials, despite being excellent soldiers, were pacifists." He moved to the jug, picked it up, and set it on the stand marked with the appropriate word. There was a rumble, a hiss, and both doors opened. "See?" Kruphix said, sounding pleased. He walked into the next room, Elsa and Sandor following close behind.

When they reached the next room, they stopped dead in their tracks. A large stone plinth was in the center of the room, and on it was a young man, eyes closed, clutching the hilt and jagged shards of a hand-and-a-half sword. His semi-long white hair was spilled around his neck, framing his face in a halo. He was dressed in armor of the sort which they had seen in the armory, and two swords were on his belt as well. They had no real guard, it seemed, and they were slightly curved, and single-edged. Sapphires dominated the hilts of the two swords, while a large white diamond was the pommel of the broken one. Icy white torches burned at regular intervals along the walls, lending light to the room. Elsa extinguished her ring and they walked forward. As they walked up to the plinth, Elsa also saw that the man was wearing a grey cloak, and a staff was resting in the crook of his arm. The staff was made of twisting wood, with a knot at the top which held a ice-blue sapphire in it. Kruphix stared for a long while, not saying anything. Finally, he said "I know who this is." Elsa and Sandor looked up in surprise. "You do?" they asked. "I do. This is Seraph, of House Frost, of the race of Primordials." He leaned down, touching Seraph's neck. As he did so, a snowflake pendant not unlike her own fell into view around Seraph's neck, save his had a diamond as the center piece, not a sapphire. Kruphix straightened up, looking both surprised and urgent. "He's still alive." Elsa looked up in shock. "What?" she asked, surprised. "We need to get him back to the castle straightaway." he said, and together they managed to lift him onto a small sled that Kruphix created beneath him, and they set out, homeward bound.

**Sorry about uploading late. For your information, look up 'Glorfindel of Rivendell' and you'll see what Seraph looks like. As for the twin swords, they're almost a identical match to Thranduil's swords in BOTFA. Narsil would be a good approximation of the Broken Sword that Seraph was holding.**


	13. The Angel Awakens

**Sorry about the wait, but I've had things on my plate that had to take precedence, most notably college work. (But am I a teacher or a student?)**

_The Elemental Primordial known as Seraphim Frost is the only individual known who possesses the ability to harness the mystical force called Æther. This mystic energy is believed to be the source of all magic, due to numerous reports of Frost's ability to control every element, and the ability to do non-elemental magic._-_On Originals_, chapter X, page V.

Seraph awoke in a soft bed, with knotted wood above him and light streaming through windows. A fragrance was in the air, lightly scented but heavenly. He remembered the smell: the scent of the marches of Anór in autumn. He pulled back the covers of the bed and got up, trying to get an idea of where he was. He didn't recognize any of the furniture, or the style of the construction. He walked to the window, trying to see the land. He was in Aren's Dale, this much he could tell. But as far as he knew, Aren's Dale was not an active port, nor did it even have a city. But there was one. A sprawl of buildings dominated the ancient glacial path, with ships of an unfamiliar type flying unfamiliar flags leaving and entering port constantly. He turned back towards the room, and sat in a chair, thinking on where he was. The door opened, and a cloaked figure walked in. "_Wo Los Hi?_" he asked. "_Zu'u los Feylfil._" Kruphix responded. He tossed a small medallion to Seraph. Seraph caught it, inspected it, realized what it was, and put it on. "Where am I, Morningstar?" he asked, the translation spell on it working to convert the Primordial language to the Western tongue. "You're in Arendelle. About two hundred thousand years after North Mountain." Kruphix said. "Two hundred thousand years?…" Seraph whispered, baffled by the amount of time he had slept. "The world has changed, old friend. You stand in the keeping of the Queen of Arendelle." Kruphix said, remorse at what befell Seraph in his voice. A knock at the door sounded, and Kruphix said "Come in."

Elsa walked in one of the many guest rooms, Anna next to her. There was Kruphix, and there was the stranger, the Primordial. Her vision darkened for just a fraction of a second, and she beheld him for what he truly was. A young man in strange armour, with a blood-soaked banner bearing a silver dragon rampant, and a broken sword. Then her vision went back to normal, and she saw the same young man, white-blonde hair, cerulean eyes, instead with simple white robes tied together with a rope belt, rather than blood-stained arms and armour. "You're awake." she said, surprised. "Indeed I am." Seraph said, a twinkle in his eye. "I understand I am in your keeping?" he asked. "Until you've been properly examined, yes." she said. "Properly examined? I would think that that sort of thing would have already been taken care of..." Seraph said, perplexed. Elsa looked at Kruphix with a hint of exasperation in her eyes. "Seraph, they want to know how you survived twenty thousand years in a coma." Kruphix said, his arms crossed over his chest. "I used a simple sleep spell, something everyone knows, only I strengthened it and bound it to my amulet. I knew the spell would wear off eventually, when it ran out of charge." he said, pulling his snowflake pendant out of his tunic's neckline. Elsa gasped slightly with surprise. "This pendant is... familiar to you?" Seraph asked. "I've seen it before, in... my dreams." she said. "Interesting." he said, walking over to a mirror. Suddenly, Seraph grasped his head, as if he was in great pain. Elsa and Anna both cried out in shock, because a confused tangle of images was rushing through their vision.

_A sword, broken, being taken to a stronghold to be laid to rest... a soldier being laid on a plinth in no less honour... A man, silently watching, forever waiting for the sign to walk once more among his Descendants... A soldier, forever sleeping, waiting to guard a person who might never be born... A demon, endlessly raging, forever brooding on his revenge... A god, endlessly in torment, waiting for the chance to rise again... A Queen, forever cold, with a frozen heart... An elf, eternally wandering, waiting for redemption...  
><em>

The images ended abruptly, with Seraph falling to one knee as Elsa and Anna's vision cleared. Before they could ask what had happened, Kruphix walked over and helped Seraph back into bed. "You need rest, my old friend. We can talk more tomorrow, when you're able." he said, walking towards the door. He looked at Elsa and Anna and motioned for them to leave the room, Kruphix following close behind. "Before you ask," he said, "He's experiencing memory leaks. It starts happening to Primordials once they reach a certain age. When they're tired, or injured, their minds reach out, grab the closest minds, and broadcast feelings into them, often accompanied by memories. Occasionally it'll broadcast glimpses of the future, or things happening far away." he said. "It can be controlled, but he'll never be rid of it as long as he lives, which might be a while." Kruphix shook his head sadly. "I don't know if I'll ever find out what happened at the battle of North Mountain. The only person who could tell me is having trouble controlling his memory." he said, then he walked away, towards his rooms. Elsa and Anna, on the other hand, went to the throne room where they had promised they would meet ambassadors from the Council of Adan, the ruling body of Adansia. Tomorrow, there would be a ball to commemorate the event, as it was the first time Adansia and Arendelle had met on friendly terms in twenty years. Elsa went off to meet the ambassadors while Anna went to plan the ball. It promised to be lavish, and well spent was the money put into it. Later that day, Elsa was told by one of the doctors that Seraph had said he would attend if at all possible. The doctor was optimistic about his chances, and told the Queen that in all likelihood Seraph could come. She thanked him, and went to bed wondering about Seraph.

**So another day ends, and a new one with the next chapter. What about these "ambassadors" I wonder. Perhaps they're real, or perhaps just a front. Who knows?**


	14. The Song Of The Exiled

**We'll skip drudgery and toil, the labours of the day, and move right on to the interesting bit, eh? Oh, and by the way, I thought you should know: Primordials speak Dovahzul(Skyrim), Ancients speak Sindarin(LOTR), Elves speak Quenya(Also LOTR), Westernoche's language is Adunaic(LOTR), and satyrs and Archons speak the Black Speech(What is it with me and LOTR?). Most races of Men, except Arendelle, Mistfell, and the Northern/Southern Isles, speak Woodelven, a form of Sindarin. So the names that you encounter, and already have encountered, are names in their respective language, with the exceptions of Seraph and Kruphix. They have English renditions of their names. Seraph's name in Dovahzul would be _Lokzii_, and Kruhix's name in Sindarin would be _Orel_. You see why I chose to render their names in english?**

_What have I done? What madness have I created?_-Dringol, Lord of Tarenia at the time of his people's destruction by his automatons.

The ball was going better than expected, was the thought running continually through Elsa's head as she greeted the never-ending waves of guests, including nobles, kings, queens, ambassadors, dignitaries, foreign dignitaries, and others. It had been a excellent evening, with good food and conversations with guests as was her duty, though it was a duty she cherished. Ever since she had assumed her throne and all its responsibilities, she had found she liked talking to people, especially ones who could hold more than six seconds of pleasantries.

She was walking through the crowd, making her way towards her seat, when she saw Kruphix, for once not in his Ranger's garb. He was wearing a soldier's uniform, with the green and gold of Arendelle's Castle Guard. His brown hair was actually combed, something she had been egging him about for weeks, and his eyes weren't attracting too much attention. He was talking to a older man and his wife, but they seemed to know each other well. Elsa mentally chided herself for forgetting that Kruphix probably had known the old man's great-grandparents when they were squalling caught her eye as she was talking and quietly nodded for her to come over. She did so and he said "Queen Elsa, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, Legolang, this is Queen Elsa of Arendelle." Turning so that he was next to Legolang while he and Elsa exchanged pleasantries, Kruphix said "Legolang here is the finest swordsman alive today. His exploits are sung about from here to Xengar." Legolang said "I'm not quite sure if I'm the best swordsman. You could probably defeat me." Kruphix looked over at him and said "My area of expertise is the bow, not the sword. I can hold my own with one, but you are the master of swordsmanship."

A woman walked up, disrupting whatever playful banter that might have gone on. Kruphix blinked and said "Fëarillë?" She turned to Kruphix and said something in a indecipherable language. He responded in the same, and turned to the others, saying "I need to go, I'll be right back." He walked away with the woman, and Elsa bade Legolang and his wife goodbye and continued to her seat. She had barely gotten there when a hush went over the room. She turned to see what the fuss, or rather the lack thereof, was about and stopped in mid-turn herself.

Seraph had arrived. He was outlined in faint light, his platinum-blonde, shoulder-length hair tied back behind his slightly pointed ears. His face was timeless, radiant with the light of forgotten stars. He was wearing simple white cotton clothes, but that didn't seem to detract from his appearance. Rather, it seemed to enhance it, with the simpleness illuminating him. Then the moment passed and everyone began talking again.

Seraph made his way through the room, conversation stopping when he passed by, only to pick up again once he had left the general area. He walked over to Elsa and kneeled, his head bowed. "Your Highness." he said, rising to look her in the eye. Elsa hadn't known it, but she and Seraph were the same height. This made him not quite so intimidating as she thought he would be. "Master..." she said, trying to remember his surname. "Frost. Master Seraph Frost." he said, smiling. "Thank you." she said, embarrassed at not remembering his name. "It's perfectly alright. I myself forget people's names often. For instance, I cannot, for the life of me, remember your surname." he said. "The royal family's surname is Winters." she said, feeling better about the incident. "I shall endeavor to remember that." he said. As he finished his sentence, a bard struck up the tale of Callon of Sírdhem, a popular tale about a virtuous knight and a evil dragon. After a few minutes of the tale, Seraph said "You know, I could tell some of the tales and sing some of the songs of my people, if you'd like." Elsa turned to him. "You'd really do that?" she asked. "Yes. I would like to. It would give me a chance to get rid of stress." he said. "You may go ahead, then, if you so desire." she said, and he walked over to the small area where the bard was telling the tale. He was soon over and Seraph stepped up and whispered in the bard's ear. After a moment, the bard nodded and walked away, and a hush fell over the room again as Seraph sang.

_Far over the mist-bound mountains cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away ere break of day_

_To seek the pale enchanted gold._

_My kin of yore made mighty spells,_

_While hammers fell like ringing bells_

_In places deep, where dark things sleep,_

_In hollow halls beneath the fells._

_For Ancient king and Elvish lord_

_There many a gleaming golden hoard_

_They shaped and wrought, and light they caught_

_To hide in gems on hilt of sword._

_On silver necklaces they strung_

_The flowering stars, on crowns they hung_

_The dragon-fire, in twisted wire_

_They meshed the light of moon and sun._

_Far over the mist-bound mountains cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away, ere break of day,_

_To claim our long-forgotten gold._

_Goblets they carved there for themselves_

_And harps of gold; where no Man delves_

_There lay they long, and many a song_

_Was sung unheard by Men or Elves._

_The pines were roaring on the height,_

_The winds were moaning in the night._

_The fire was red, it flaming spread;_

_The trees like torches blazed with light._

_The bells were ringing in Arendelle_

_And Men looked up with faces pale;_

_Then dragon's ire more fierce than fire_

_Laid low their towers and houses frail._

_The mountain smoked beneath the moon;_

_My kin they heard the tramp of doom._

_They fled their hall to dying fall_

_Beneath black wings, beneath the moon._

_Far over the mist-bound mountains grim_

_To dungeons deep and caverns dim_

_We must away, ere break of day,_

_To win our harps and gold from him!_

When Seraph had finished, silence reigned over the room. He stepped down, and conversation started up again, albeit muted and on the subject of what the song meant. He walked over to Elsa just as Kruphix walked up to her. "Ah, you're up and about." Kruphix said, evidently pleased that Seraph was feeling better. "He's better than that." Elsa interjected. "He just silenced the entire room with his song." Kruphix looked over to him. "And what song did he sing?" he asked Elsa. "I don't know." she confessed. "It was _Faal Lovaas Do Faal Fustiroz_, Kruphix." Seraph said. "The Song of the Exiled? No wonder they were speechless. I don't think that song's been sung, seen, or heard in twelve hundred years." They walked out of the glass doors and into the garden as they talked. "The Song of the Exiled?" Elsa asked. "It's the song that Primordials sung when they were forced from Winter-fell, about eight hundred years before the first Elemental War. It describes the awe and wonder of their creations and their works, and the ferocity of the Dragons that took their home, slaying indiscriminately, and scattering all who lived there that didn't die by fire, claw, or tooth." Kruphix said. "It was our pride and our downfall." Seraph said quietly. "You were there, weren't you?" Kruphix asked. "I was. I brought seven of the creatures down before I was forced to join the refugees, protecting them as they fled the carnage." Elsa pondered this, walking with people who had seen the world as it was when it was young, who commanded vast world-shaking powers. "You mentioned Arendelle in the song, why?" she asked. "At the time, this fjord was known as Aren's Dale. There was a quite large city named Aren's Dell in it, further up the valley. When the dragons attacked, they burned Aren's Dell, so that relief troops and supplies couldn't reach us, and no-one would be able to send for help, not in any time to do any good. I mentioned Men, because that's what Kruphix's people were called in my time. I understand that they are now called Ancients." Seraph said.

A twig suddenly snapped, with a accompanying rustle in the undergrowth. Kruphix's head immediately snapped up and towards the sound, just in time to hear the deep-throated hum of a crossbow firing. He pushed Elsa forwards, diving forwards himself to escape the dart. Seraph, however, simply leaned back, hands clasped behind his back, and the quarrel went harmlessly past him, missing by centimeters. Another hum sounded, and this time Seraph reached out in front of him, his hand a blur, and _caught_ the crossbow bolt. He reversed it and threw it back into the shadows, rewarded with the sound of a abruptly cut off scream and the sound of a body falling to the ground. A man, dressed in a dull purple cloak, jumped out of hiding and drew a short sword, and sung a vicious overhand stroke at Seraph. Seraph swayed to one side and the stroke went harmlessly past. The swordsman, expecting resistance, stumbled forwards and Seraph caught him, pressing his fingers to certain nerves in the neck that connect to the brain. The man slumped in his arms as he went unconscious, and Seraph let him fall as two more assassins attacked, one with a crossbow pointed at Elsa, the other with a sword and dagger. The crossbowman fired his weapon, and Elsa's powers automatically reacted, just as they had in her palace, some months ago. A solid spike of ice rose out of the ground and stopped the bolt, mere inches from her heart. The swordsman attacked while the crossbowman reloaded. But by this time Kruphix had entered the fray. He had somehow produced his longbow from thin air and sent two arrows into both men's left calf. A painful wound, but not fatal. "That makes three alive and one dead." Kruphix said. "Four alive, none dead. The one I threw the quarrel at will live, though I daresay he won't be needing that shoulder for a while." Seraph said. Guards, finally alerted to the intrusion, came to take them away. "I will question them later." Elsa said. The guards nodded and dragged the unconscious men away to the dungeons. Elsa dispelled her ice wall, and they walked back inside, to where the party was, reason being that there was less chance of a assassination attempt while there were a great deal of people present. After the party, Elsa set guards on everyone's doors, for one night at least. Then they rested soundly, in the knowledge that they were safe. For the moment.

**MUAHAHAHHA! Alright, I'm done evilly laughing. Well, Elsa, Kruphix, and Seraph: 1. Assassins and Enemies: 0. Next time, events will develop into startling conclusions.**


	15. Wizard's Duel

**Startling things are about to happen...**

_Aerlinn in edhel do Imladris!_-Woe-cry of the High-elves of Ithil

The day was bright, people were laughing, there were no clouds in the sky, would-be assassins were being tortured, all was right with the world. Elsa and Kruphix were in the dungeons, watching passively as the assassins were interrogated. The only thing they could get out of them was the fact that they weren't going to give the interrogators anything. They had determined from the assassins' weapons and clothing that they were Adansian mercenaries, the finest assassins in the known world. That meant that the ambassadors had been a ruse in order to provide cover for their nefarious work. Kruphix was about ready to rip their heads off, but Seraph had restrained him from such extremities. "Think for a moment," he had said. "If you kill them, they won't be able to tell you who hired them." Realizing good advice, Kruphix had restrained himself from immediately executing them. Instead, the interrogators had been sent for.

"You know," Kruphix said. "You interrogated me personally. Why not these four?" he asked. "Because, you saved Kristoff's life." Elsa replied, watching silently from behind a silver-backed glass pane. "That merits my attention. These four don't." she said, turning away from the interrogation window and walking to the door. Kruphix followed her out, through the hallways and into the training courtyard. There they stopped, slightly amazed at the display of agility, flexibility, and marksmanship going on. Kruphix was almost instantly unfazed, as he could do better. Elsa wasn't so lucky.

Seraph was training in the courtyard. A series of targets, obstacles, and other objects had been littered around the area, and a small but growing crowd was watching as Seraph went through the course, armed with only a bow and sword. Both weapons were strange. The bow, unlike Arendelle's typical longbow, was not a straight curve. It's limbs were bent in a shallow 'S' figure, and it was made of a black wood. It's grip was grey cord, and the arrowheads were narrow(**Author's Note: Think the bows of the Galadhrim Elves from LOTR)**. The sword was designed for flexible combat, apparently, as Seraph backflipped over a short wall, shooting one target through the eye with the bow, then in one fluid movement putting the bow on his back and drawing the sword out of his baldric. He beheaded the other target, then jumped onto another wall, sideflipping off of it onto a rock and shooting three targets through the various joints of their armor. He leapt off the rock and walked over to Kruphix and Elsa.

"How goes the interrogation?" he asked. "Not well." Kruphix said, forestalling Elsa. "They won't talk." Seraph opened his mouth to speak when there was a commotion at the gate. Guards were rushing to and fro, and light flashes were reflecting off the various glass panes facing the gate. Even more worrying, both Kruphix and Seraph, being creatures of magic, could sense lethal intent behind the flashes. "Come." Seraph said, and they ran to the gate.

What they saw amazed them. A wizard's duel was taking place on the short causeway between the castle and the city. Oldhinen and his apprentice Caranguar were fighting each other, bolts of light and elemental magic bouncing off shields of colored light while both did their best to kill each other. Kruphix rushed forwards, blue-green energy swirling in one hand into a tall spire, forming his staff. Seraph stopped short ad nocked an arrow, grey fletching bristling on the end of the shaft. Elsa stood there, blue energy swirling in her hands as she attempted to see who was the aggressor. Sandor ran up from the castle, grey-blue magical energy sparking fitfully on his wand. The apprentice noticed them and waved a hand dismissively towards them. A wall of fire erupted from his feet and raced towards them. Elsa thrust her hands forward, a solid sheet of ice appearing in front of her. Sandor raised his wand, walls of water rising with it, while Kruphix slammed the butt end of his staff into the ground, a shockwave rippling through the pavement. The wall of fire was pummeled with earth, doused with water, and frozen with ice. Elsa looked over to Seraph, who had done nothing. "Why didn't you do something?" she asked, energy building up in her palms again as she had been taught. "There was no need." he said. Seraph then leapt forward, as with a pained cry Oldhinen's staff broke and his magical shield vanished. Caranguar rushed forward, blade cutting downwards for a killing blow.

He didn't make it. With a ring and a clash Seraph's bow intercepted his sword and knocked it aside. "Stand aside!" Caranguar ordered. "I think not." Seraph said. Caranguar raised his staff and pillars of flame erupted from the ground, each rushing towards a different person; one towards Elsa, one towards Sandor, and two towards Kruphix. "Make a choice, bowman." Caranguar said.

With a sigh of frustration, Seraph leapt toward the three embattled Elementals, sword flying. Caranguar walked over to Oldhinen. "You would have held me back, made me into _you_. No longer. I forge my own path now, a path of power, and gain. Not some pitiful weaklings road. Die now, and know that Caranguar the Red killed you!" Caranguar cried, and shoved his sword into Oldhinen's chest. Oldhinen's eyes rolled into his head, his fingertips glowing with a bright white light. With a dreadful cry, Oldhinen threw back his head as pure magical energy flowed out of him. It lit up the sky as it dispersed, and people for tens of miles around saw the bright flair. Caranguar laughed and ran to his horse, a sleek black courser which wheeled about and galloped away as he rode to safety, to a place where Arendelle's soldiers would not dare go.

Meanwhile, Kruphix, Sandor, and Elsa were battling for their lives. The pillars were immune to cooling and water, as Elsa and Sandor had found. They burned too hot for that. Kruphix could summon both earth _and _water, so he was faring better. He had already destroyed one of the pillars that had attacked him, by using earth to stifle the oxygen it needed to survive. The other, however, wasn't giving him the chance to do it again. Sandor had essentially given up on destroying his pillar, and was holding walls of water around him that steamed and boiled whenever the pillar came close. Elsa hadn't quite given up, and was busy throwing waves after waves of ice walls up, hoping to extinguish the fires. It was working, to a degree. The pillar had changed to a dull red, and it wasn't burning so fiercely anymore, but it still had enough heat to melt through her ice as quick as she could make it.

Then Seraph entered the fray. He didn't do anything fancy, he just shot an arrow at it. But it was no ordinary arrow. The arrowhead gleamed with starlight, and as he shot it a heavenly voice sounded, for all to hear. When the arrow touched the pillar, it disintegrated. The pillar was no more than a pile of ashes, and the arrow had continued until it hit the other pillar, vaporizing that one as well. The arrow, completely unharmed, screeched against the castle's outer wall and clattered to a stop on the causeway.

"How?..." Elsa trailed off. "I'd like to know how you did that as well." Kruphix said. Seraph walked over and picked the arrow up. He walked back towards them and showed them the arrow, saying "It's coldsteel. A special metal that absorbs and dismantles enchantments. It's incredibly difficult to find and refine, and to make it into anything useful." Saying that, he put the arrow back into his quiver and walked to the stables, saying to a groom "I need a horse. A swift one."

Elsa and Kruphix walked over to him as he began to saddle a white stallion with saddlebags, saying "First, where are you going? Second, why aren't you using a saddle?" Seraph looked at them. "To answer your first question, I'm going to bring that foul person to justice. To answer the second, I ride faster without one."

Elsa and Kruphix both called for horses. "Are you coming?" he asked. "If you think we're letting you travel for who knows how long without help, you're sorely mistaken." Kruphix said.

Sandor walked up, three packs in hand. "You'll need these. Food, clothes, and water. A spare quiver for you" he handed a quiver of arrows to Kruphix" and your daggers." he finished, handing Elsa her twin daggers. "Thank you." she said, then noticed that he didn't have a pack or a horse.

"You're not coming?" she asked. "I think you three need to do this together." Sandor said, six-year-old philosophy cutting through any arguments there might have been. Elsa nodded, embraced Sandor briefly, then mounted up on her own horse. Together, the three cantered through the city, out into the great beyond, to catch a killer.

**Difficult to write. Look up Thranduil's sword for a ****description of Seraph's weapon.**


End file.
